Rule of Sixes
by BlitzzHDizzle
Summary: Six is a rather normal student at a college where he grew up, though riddled with pain from his past. Humphrey's been there by his side since he can remember, but what happens when tragedy strikes someone of interest? What happens when things start going weird, but nobody can make sense of it? Is it the lack of sleep, or is it.. something else?
1. Chapter 1

**I**

**This story is meant to provide context and further detail as the story continues. There are thoughts, emotions, feelings, details even- that may seem missing. All in time.**

**Six's Perspective.**

BAM! My head had just slipped from my propped hand to the hard classroom desk I snoozed on, waking me immediately.

I clasped the side of my face, wincing at the slight pain I had just caused myself.

"Ouch." I said quietly. I looked around the classroom, noticing the apparently barren desks and chairs around me. My physics professor sat in his leather chair with his feet propped up on his desk while he read what appeared to be a newspaper.

"You somehow managed to sleep through the entire lecture, as well as the fire alarm going off." He said. My professor had a serious J. Jonah Jameson "He's a menace!" look going on, as he had the same mustache and raspy voice as J. Jonah had in the Marvel movies.

I rubbed my eyes and groaned as I leaned back in my chair, looking at the horribly inaccurate analog clock above the door. It read '3:30', which meant it was around 5 o' clock. That would mean I slept for at least three hours.

"I'm sorry, I swear I don't stay up partying, I can't seem to sleep when I need to." I tried to explain, reaching for my bag. It's a little old and it has a few repaired tears in it. Why not replace it, right? Well, this bag was one of the last things gifted to me by my mother before she.. Passed.

"I know you don't, and really if it were anyone else I'd probably give them a hard time about it, but I know you've pretty much mastered this stuff. I know this subject comes especially easy to you, so I don't worry about you falling behind in content." He said, folding his newspaper and reaching for his half-full, cold cup of coffee at the edge of his desk. He brought the rim to his lip and exclaimed in remembrance.

"Mmh, oh I did figure something out while you were resting." He said, gesturing to his laptop screen. "Do you remember asking me about over-the-counter sleeping aids?" He added, with uncertainty in his voice as he finished his sentence.

I took my attention from the bag in my lap to him, blinking a few times as I took a second to process what he said.

"Uh.. I believe so, a few days ago." I scrunch my eyebrows before continuing. "There was that experimental product that I asked you to dig around for." I finished.

He brought his attention from the laptop, turned it around so I could see the screen, leaned back, and smiled.

I leaned forward and squinted my eyes to attempt to see what the hell I was looking at, to no avail.

"What does it say? My vision is garbage, you know that." I said plainly.

He made a face that looked like '_really_'.

He turned it around so he could read it, and highlighted the parts he found most important.

"It says 'With the breakthrough of nanotechnological _blah blah fancy words blah _there is possible experimentation for a new kind of ingestible medication.'"

He used his fingers on the trackpad to scroll down the page.

"I swear I saw it say.. Ah there it is uh 'The S-419 FDA Approved experimental sleep aid has been officially distributed to nationwide pharmaceutical establishments.'" He finished, looking at me and raising his hands to shrug.

"If nothing else works, hell, I'd try it." He added.

I've tried so many drugs to try to help with sleep and nothing I try seems to work. I refuse to use dangerous substances such as codeine just in case I find it addicting and follow my father's path. Ever since my mother passed, a good night's rest has vanished from existence.

"Does it say when that article was published?" I asked.

He squinted looking at the screen.

"Not that I can tell.." He dragged out.

"Hm. Well I'll stop by a pharmacy and see if they have it yet." I said, looking out the window to my right.

Suddenly, the door handle twisted, and a slender female entered the room. I gave her a quick once-over to see if I knew her. I've definitely seen her around, she hangs out with Humphrey, one of my close friends. Well, close-ish. He and I have been friends since I moved next door to him in early grade school. Ever since then we got along really well and understood each other, as well as each others' personalities.

There was one person that understood him better than I did, and that was this girl. Kate.. something. I don't know her last name. In fact, I know nearly nothing about her. Humphrey liked talking about her but I never held onto the details he shared with me. Their relationship wasn't really my business.

Humphrey has mentioned that he has spoken about me to her several times, so I wouldn't be surprised if she perhaps recognized me.

I looked back to the window opposite the female, in silence.

"Hi there, Kate. What can I do for ya?" The professor inquired.

"I finished the report about thermodynamics early and wanted to give it to you before I possibly forget or something." Kate said. As I stared out of the window, I studied her voice. I've heard her talk before, although we've never interacted. Just haven't had any reason or opportunity, really.

Her voice reminded me of laminar. Her sentence flowed delicately, though with prudence. I liked her sound, her swift femininity as she approached his desk, papers in hand.

It was a quick transaction, a smirk on the professor's face.

"You always strive for excellence, a trait uncommon upon campus." He said as he slid the neatly collected papers into a generic-looking orange packet in a large, squeaky drawer.

Kate smiled.

"Thanks, professor." She said as she slid her bag back onto her shoulders. She turned to leave; her gaze traced along my figure, she stopped in her tracks.

"Hey, you're Six, right?" She asked, approaching me with a positive aura. Something I'm not used to.

I uneasily met her gaze and smiled.

"Correct." I said, extending my hand in greeting. Kate accepted the gesture. "Nice to actually meet you, instead of just.. Imagining you." I said, tapping the side of my head.

She let out a slight chuckle.

"Likewise." She replied.

Her aura was so unparalleled it was unbelievable I didn't meet her sooner. Her amber eyes, blonde hair, and slim yet athletic figure was beautiful.

"Humphrey's told me a lot about you, I imagine he's told you a bit about me?" I inquired. It wasn't exactly a question, more like a guessed certainty.

She nodded, returning her hands to her bag's shoulder straps.

"A bit." She replied. There was a slight pause in conversation, creating a slightly awkward environment. She gave the incorrectly timed clock a glance. "Well hey, would you like to walk with me? I'd love to chat with you but I've got to pick a few things up from the store before I head home, and it would give us time to get to know each other." She asked, uncertainly.

I tilted my head in thought. Kate is clearly more people-y than I am, considering I never would have asked that of someone I just met. Well, technically just met. To be fair, I'm also not all that approachable, and I do that purposefully. I don't really like social interaction all that much, but from specific people that don't seem like dirtbags or frat girls, it's okay every once in a while.

Kate seems like a really nice girl, so hey, what could go wrong?

"Yeah, that'd be nice. I need to stop at a pharmacy anyway." I said before getting up out of my seat. I reached for my bag when suddenly I felt extremely light headed and my vision vanished. I took a second to regain my senses; I knew what this was, I just stood up too fast. Not enough sodium in my diet, apparently.

I slid my bag on and joined Kate as we left the room.

"See you tomorrow, professor." I said as I let go of the door, and waved. He waved back, returning to his newspaper he seemed so interested in. Kate stood a few feet from me, patiently waiting for my slow butt to walk with her.

As we began to walk, I reached into my pocket for my phone to see if I missed any text messages, only to see that my phone was dead.

"Shit, my phone's dead." I said quietly, before looking at Kate. "Have you texted Humphrey recently? Wouldn't want him to think I'm up to no good If he sees me with you out of nowhere." I added half seriously, half jokingly. Humphrey wouldn't think I'm trying to do anything with Kate or anything, but at least telling him would be a good idea.

"Oh, yeah actually. He said he had some stuff on his mind and went to the gym." Kate replied. She seemed distant in that response, but I chose to ignore that.

"Without me, again? Almost seems like he doesn't like me anymore." I said fake pouting.

That got Kate to smile and look at me. Something about this girl makes it seem illegal to be anything but a nice guy.

"It's not that, trust me he's told me about it. He just has certain things that he feels he would say the wrong way and damage your relationship with him. I mean, there's a lot he doesn't even tell me." She said truthfully, then she looked at me. "Although he seems to really trust you, and I thank you for being there for him." She said thoughtfully, bumping into me on purpose.

I flashed her a quick smile, as I took a moment to think about Humphrey. He and I shared an unreasonably large quantity of horrible life events and experiences. Our parents, for example. There were things that differentiated us, though; like how we handle emotional trauma.

"Well, I also really appreciate you being there for him when I can't, or when I'm not." I said thankfully. I know he's an emotionally tough guy, but I know that I'm not always the most.. talkative guy in the room.

Kate took the moment to smile at me; I looked at her and genuinely smiled back.

I like this girl, she's thoughtful of emotion. Thoughtful of pain. There's a lot of thin ice in both Humphrey and I's lives. Though, I'm glad she's careful where she steps.

Kate and I finally reached the large, glass doors of the rather large building we traversed through. The moment we pushed through the exit, the icey temperature stabbed us violently.

I deal with the cold rather well, though to make conversation I decided to comment.

"Oof, that's brisk." I huffed, blowing vapor from my breath in her direction, which made her laugh. She took a moment to respond, seemingly studying me while she looked into my eyes with a warm smile.

"I see why you and Humphrey get along so well, not only are you two the toughest cats in the yard, you're genuinely humble people." She said genuinely as we swiftly walked along the cobblestone sidewalk.

"Well thank you. I'm not so much a social butterfly perhaps like yourself, but I do interact from time to time. There's no reason to be an ass, either. ninety percent of the people that interact with me are genuinely just nice people. Why reflect the other ten percent toward everyone I meet?" I said, slightly trailing on- imagining a particular student.

"I hope I fall in that ninety percent category of yours." Kate commented, slightly bumping me with a smile.

I looked at her thoughtfully.

"No, you see.. You have your own category." I started, looking ahead. "It's rare that anyone ever portrays such maturity and genuine heart such as yourself." I said, meeting her gaze again. "People in this category are the only ones who will ever truly see me; know me, even." I paused. "Which is why Humphrey is the only one I talk to nowadays." I paused again. "But now, today makes two." I added genuinely.

Kate smiled thoughtfully and leaned her head on my shoulder.

"That was very nice of you, Six." She said softly, letting her head rest against me. It was only then that I noticed she was slightly shaking. I thought something was wrong until I also noticed her nose turning a red-ish pink color. She's freezing.

"Kate- why didn't you say something, I have a sweatshirt in my bag." I slightly exclaimed, stopping and sliding my bag off.

"Oh, It's alright really It's not that cold." Kate said almost nervously, as she minorly trembled.

"Maybe so, but I wouldn't want my new friend to turn into a popsicle while I can help it." I returned mostly joking, but also seriously which as it would appear, she appreciated.

I pulled out my white sweatshirt and pulled it together to fit over her head. Kate slid her bag off and allowed me to fit it over her torso. She slid her arms through and pulled her hair out of the hood. The large sized sweatshirt was a bit big on her, which was cute.

"There. Better." I said, picking up our bags. Kate suddenly brought me into an embrace.

"Thank you, Six." She said angelically. I felt.. not uncomfortable, but uneasy. I'm not much of a hugger. The last person I genuinely hugged was my mother, and hugs have never been the same since, though I still returned her gesture.

When she pulled from the hug, I gave her a thoughtful smile.

"You're welcome, Kate. It's the least I can do." I said genuinely. After all, this girl has been the other fifty percent keeping my best friend from insanity.

She and I replaced our bags on our backs and resumed our walk to the store.

There was a small silence that filled the air. It wasn't an awkward silence; more of a content one.

"I have a question for you, though you have no obligation to answer." Kate said, looking at me, as I met her gaze.

I didn't say anything, as I simply nodded.

She looked down to the path below our shoes.

"Your name.. 'Six', where did it come from?" She asked delicately, meeting my gaze again.

I took a moment to answer, as I wasn't exactly prepared for that. People have asked before, but I usually just lied to them and made up some bullshit, but Kate- I won't do that.

"Well.." I started. Hell, how do I explain this.. "Six isn't actually my real name. Six came from when I was young." I continued, then paused. I don't know if I should tell her. The only person that knows about the details is Humphrey, and that took four years. I decided that I won't lie, though I just don't feel that it's a great idea to explain this to her just yet.

"It was a nickname I made for myself after my mother had passed. It has sentiment to me, and I've used it ever since." I finished, though I realized I sounded slightly gloomy in my answer.

"Oh, I'm sorry.. I didn't know it had to do with that.. I shouldn't have asked.." Kate said carefully, regretting her decision to say anything.

I shook my head in rebuttal.

"Kate, it's okay. I'm not upset. It doesn't hurt bringing it up." I said softly, wrapping my arm around her in comfort.

Kate sniffled. I had thought she was getting emotional, but it was just because of the cold.

"I just don't want you to think I'm trying to prod into your past. I know it's not my business, I just.. you're so thoughtful and I genuinely want to get to know you for real, instead of just tip toeing, asking Humphrey everything." Kate said, distressed; clearly. Before I could say anything she continued. "I've always seen you around, always wanted to talk to you, but you always just seemed so distant, so wronged that I didn't want to ruin any chance I had in being your friend." She finished.

At this point I figure the cold may be getting to her. The sun was going down and the clouds were rolling in, the temperature was definitely dropping and walking may not have been the greatest idea. Thankfully the strip mall was near.

I felt her forehead with the back of my hand.

"Kate, you're burning up. We need to get you home." I said. I may have just met the girl, but for the few friends that I keep, I treat them like family.

"Sorry, I get carried away in my thoughts sometimes." Kate apologized.

"It's okay, I forgive you. I'm sorry I never made the connection, either." I replied.

Kate simply smiled and rested her head against me again.

We finally reached the store we meant to walk to, which coincidentally is where I always park my car. Kate and I walked inside before I asked what items she needed.

"Oh, just a couple ingredients my mother asked for, she wants to make a special dinner tonight, it's my parent's anniversary." She said.

"Ah, I see. Well, let's make this quick so we can get you home, miss sickly." I said comically.

Kate giggled, before reaching into her pant pocket, revealing a small list of items, in which she shared with me.

I grabbed a small basket and we quickly explored through the mostly barren store for the few items she needed. Some broth, a few vegetables, seasonings and the like, and finally some garlic bread. We worked our way through the store cracking jokes, easing awkward tension and interacting in ways friends that knew each other for extended time would. It was honestly really nice.

We finally reached the checkout as I placed the basket on the automated grocery belt. The young, pimply cashier scanned and bagged the items for us before announcing the total cost.

"That'll be $32.14." He said plainly. Clearly he must love his job.

Kate patted her pockets for I assume her card or wallet only to quietly curse.

"Shit!" She said dreadfully.

I placed my hand on her shoulder in reassurance, as I pulled out my debit card.

"Oh, Six you don't have to do that." She said, holding the hand which held my card.

"It's alright, really. My treat." I smiled, placing the chip in the card reader.

Kate smiled thoughtfully.

"Thank you, Six. You're very sweet." She said, holding my arm close. I simply smiled.

The machine beeped and I pulled my card out.

"Would you like your receipt?" The cashier asked.

"No thanks." I replied. I put away my card and grabbed the two bags.

"Have a nice day." He said almost robotically, which I understand.

"You too." Kate and I replied in unison, as she and I walked out of the store.

"Conveniently, I park my car right over there all the time, so we don't have to call an Uber or anything." I said, pointing in the direction of my vehicle.

"Oh! I was about to call one." Kate said, putting away her phone, returning both hands to my warm arm, holding it close. I didn't exactly think anything of it, since I knew she wasn't feeling well with the cold and all, and hey, being a nice guy is the least I could do.

We reached my car, as I unlocked the doors with my key. Kate walked around to the passenger side.

"Nice car, Six.." Kate said prudently, meeting my gaze.

"Thanks, I know- It's such a beter, right?" I replied comically, which made her slightly giggle.

We got in and I started the car. I immediately adjusted the thermostat to make it warm for the ride to her house.

Kate brought her hands which were covered by the large sweatshirt to her face to warm herself.

"Thank you for all of this, Six.." I said thoughtfully.

"You're welcome, Kate. Now.. where to?" I asked, meeting her gaze.

She grinned before replying.

"Flavortown." She replied before laughing, not only because she thought her joke was funny, but also because of the face I made.

"Did Humphrey get you into saying that?" I asked chuckling. I remember him joking about that before.

Kate simply nodded cutely.

I grinned, shaking my head.

"You know, I've never actually seen the tv show." I said, plugging my phone in.

"Me neither. In fact, I hardly even watch TV anymore."

"Yeah, I just use Netflix and stuff nowadays." I replied, waiting for my phone to turn on. "Here.." I said, giving Kate my phone. "When that turns on just enter your address."

"Okay." Was all she said.

I put the car in drive and drove out of the parking lot, onto the dimly lit street in no specific direction while we waited.

Once my phone turned on she saw as my phone lit up what my lock screen picture was.

"Aww, you two are so cute." She said, looking at the image. It was a photo of Humphrey and I in a gym hyping up a little girl lifting two pound weights above her head. I glanced over at Kate, who simply smiled as she studied the image.

"My password is 0924." I said. There's not much I feel that I need to hide from Kate; well in my phone anyway, and I feel that I can trust her, so why not.

She entered the passcode and unlocked my phone. She took a moment to search for the Maps app, and swiftly entered her address.

"You trust me with your phone password? Not a lot of guys do that even when in a relationship." She added, shooting me a quick glance.

"Ha." I started. "Well, I trust you." I said genuinely, minding the road.

Kate looked over at me, handing me my phone.

"You do?" She asked delicately, though I'm not sure why. I gave her a quick glance.

"Of course. You've been there for my best friend for years. Trust is hard to aquire, but easy to keep- when it comes to me." I started, before giving her another glance. "Having great character also has a lot to do with it." I added.

Kate smiled, and looked at Six while he drove. There was a moment of content silence, though Kate simply admired him. Like said before, Humphrey had spoken about Six in the past, but there's only so much you can portray through words. Being among him, talking to him, and learning about him is all she needed to realize what kind of person he is

**Kate's Perspective.**

I admired him as he drove, following the directions on his phone. The longer the silence grew, the more I realized he looked so very tired.

"You look tired." I said quietly. He reached over to the radio and turned it up a little bit, easing the quiet away, before giving me another glance.

"Yeah, I don't sleep very we- shit, I forgot something." He said defeated.

"Forgot something? What, at the school?" I asked, unsure what he meant.

"No, I was going to see if that store had a new kind of sleep aid I was looking into." He replied.

"When was the last time you had a good night's sleep, Six?" I asked concerned. I pulled an all-nighter a few weeks ago because of a project and it was horrible the day after.

He rubbed his neck and slightly grimaced.

"Good question. It's been.. years." He finished, looking at me.

My eyes went wide.

"How much do you sleep at night?" I asked.

"Well, sometimes I don't even sleep. I just.. Rest for a bit before finding something to do."

I was pretty much gobsmacked.

"So, what kinds of practices have you used to help?" I asked, since he said he wanted to try a new sleep aid.

"If you mean over-the-counter medication.." He paused. "All of them." He added, before looking at me. "Which is why I wanted to try a new one."

I took a moment to process what he had said.

"A- all of them?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yeah.." He said softly, returning his hands to the wheel.

"Oh my God, Six." I said sadly. I rested my hand on his shoulder. "Is it because of-"

"My mother?" He injected. "Yes. Well, yes and no." He said. "It's a few things. If I do eventually get some sleep, I have vivid nightmares about my past, and no matter how many times they replay over and over, they make me feel the same regardless." He finished, sounding gloomy.

"Six, I'm so sorry." I said, rubbing his shoulder.

He nodded.

"It's alright." He said softly.

I know that it's not, I can tell by the way he talks about it. I returned from rubbing his shoulder while in thought.

"Six, have I been too forward? I mean.. I technically just met you but I've felt like I've known you for months, through Humphrey." I started, thinking back to earlier today when I was holding his arm, or hugging him.

He looked at me carefully.

"Not at all." He started, returning his gaze to the road. "Well.." He paused. "Just a tiny bit, but nothing that made me uncomfortable." He assured. He carefully held his hand out, and I gracefully held his hand. He was so gentle as he caressed mine.

"There's a lot you will learn about me with time, if you decide to keep me your friend." He started, and I was about to respond to that last part, but he continued. "I don't keep a lot of people close, Kate." He added.

"Six.." I began. "I may have just officially met you today, but you are nothing like the other guys from our school. Once I began talking to you, I realized that you and Humphrey both have the same strong, yet careful attitude. I mean, when we were walking and you realized I was cold, you didn't hesitate to give me your sweatshirt. You helped me gather things in the store and since I lost my card, you even paid for it! -Which I will pay you back for by the way-." I said, genuinely, still holding his gentle hand.

Six gazed his bright blue eyes at me, rubbing my hand.

"You didn't hesitate to take me home either." I started. "-And you are asking for nothing but friendship in return." I added soothingly.

Six took a moment to gather his thoughts.

"There is nothing more valuable to me than the people I care about." Six then said.

I was taken slightly aback.

"You care about me?" I asked hesitantly, to which he replied diligently.

"Of course, ever since Humphrey started talking about situations where you stuck by his side in times of need, I've always cared about you." I said; meaningfully.

I considered what he had said, as I imagined interaction between Six and Humphrey, since I've never actually seen them together, except maybe in the gym once or twice.

What brought me out of my train of thought was the car coming to a stop in a neighborhood. I looked out of my window and saw my house with the porch lights on.

"This is the place, my dear." Six commented, putting the car in park. I smiled at him as we got out of the car.

Six walked with me up the slight slope of my driveway until we reached the front door, when we both stopped and faced each other.

"Thanks for taking care of me today, Six." I said softly punching his left arm. He smiled.

"Of course, I'm sorry you ended up catching a cold, I didn't expect the temperature to reach that low tonight" He replied, fiddling with his keys.

I smiled at him and carefully brought him into an embrace, which he gladly accepted.

"I hope you can sleep well tonight, I know you said you have nightmares.." I started, as we parted from the hug. "But I hope your mind rests at ease." I finished, gazing into his brisk blue eyes.

**Six's Perspective.**

Suddenly, the door opened and what appeared to be a mini Kate with brunette hair was standing in the doorway.

"Kate's home!" She yelled into the house before returning her focus onto Kate, than me.

"Who's that?" She asked Kate, pointing at me. Come on, I'm a person too you know.

"This is Six, a friend of Humphrey's." Kate explained, gesturing to me.

"Six?" Like.. the number?" She asked, looking at me. I simply nodded, which seemed to suffice as a response. Suddenly, an older gentleman, as I knew him their father, walked to the door.

He had a slight expression of unexpectancy.

"Six.." He started, looking me up and down. "I haven't seen you since.." He continued, though halting as he reached the end of his wording.

I simply nodded in agreement. The last time I had seen Winston was when he and his wife Evelyn attended my father's funeral. This was about four years ago.

Kate was just kind of standing there, unsure.

"You know him?" Kate asked her father, gesturing to me.

"Yeah, his father would bring him to the factory every friday when he was boy, so we'd hang out and cause mischief." He finished with a slight grin. That was surely unexpected, though Kate seemed content with his answer.

"Huh.. well, I'm going to take these inside." Kate said, raising the two bags of groceries. "Thanks for taking care of me today, Six." She said, brushing my arm, carrying a sweet smile as she entered the house.

I gave her an approving nod, and a small wave before she retreated further into the home.

Winston returned his gaze, he gave me a look of sympathy.

"How've you been, son?" He asked carefully. I know Winston was always such a caretaker of mine, and he would always tread lightly on topics I felt uneasy.

I let out a sigh. Not often do I talk about my feelings.

"I'm really trying to hang in there." I replied divergently. "I steer clear of a lot of things nowadays. Maybe more than I should." I added, rubbing my neck. "Hell, if your daughter hadn't started conversation today, I don't think I would have ever seen you again."

Aw, I'm sure things would have worked out some way or another, and hey- you finally met Kate." Winston gestured. "I remember you seeing photos when you were younger and you'd say you thought she was pretty." He said with a chuckle.

I gave a slight huff of laughter and nodded.

"At least I had that right. Bummer I didn't have any classes with her, I may have been around you guys more often."

Winston nodded.

"But that never meant you were unwelcome. I know that your father held you back a lot, I know he stopped you from doing things you enjoyed." He started. "I remember you showing me your stories and drawings. I always tried to encourage you, I'm sorry it led to.. Where it did." Winston apologized.

I shook my head and gave the ground a glance.

"It's not your fault, never was." I shot.

My father made it seem like my interests were wrong, that they made me less of a man. He hit me, God, I remember how he hit me. I would be held down and lashed with a belt to the point of bloodshed. My mother tried to stop him most of the time, but she was high on cocaine and whatever else she used. He would hit her too, if she tried to stop him.

I was too small, too feeble; powerless to do anything about it.

"Winston, dear! Who's at the door?" I heard Evelyn say as her voice grew louder the closer she got to the door. I saw her nicely dressed self appear from behind the open door.

"Oh hey, Six! Gosh, I haven't seen you in forever!" She exclaimed, embracing me in a hug. It may not have lasted long, but it felt needed. I enjoyed it.

When we parted, she whooped and reentered the home.

"Wow, it's really chilly outside! Why don't you guys come inside. Six, perhaps you'd like to stay for dinner?" Evelyn offered sincerely.

I smiled.

"I really appreciate the offer, ma'am, but I just don't think now is a great time." I replied thoughtfully. She looked disappointed, as did Winston.

"Well if you ever need a place to retreat to, we've always loved you, Six. You're more than welcome here." Evelyn said. Winston gave a slight smile and nodded.

"Always." He added. I smiled, though I remained silent for a moment. In fact, my eyes began to well ever so slightly. "Or, if you'd ever like to talk, -doesn't matter what about-, we're here with open arms." Winston continued. "I'm retired now anyway, I've got a lot of time on my hands." He added.

I looked at them thoughtfully.

"Thanks for being here for me you guys." I managed to say before my voice turned to stone. My emotions are sometimes difficult to understand; myself. I don't cry often, actually it's quite rare for anyone to see that, but these two saints were damn near about to.

Winston embraced me, and Evelyn took my hand.

"We've got your Six." Winston said, I suddenly let out a chuckle.

Winston retracted and smiled.

I began walking backward down the steps, giving a small wave.

"Thanks again for your offer, Eve." I said. She simply smiled and waved back.

"Any time, sweetheart." She replied, holding the door.

"See ya around, dad." I said, giving Winston a final wave. His smile broadened.

I returned to my vehicle, started it up, and let out a long sigh. I closed my eyes and gripped the steering wheel. I looked over at my phone, seeing my lock screen of Humphrey and I. The screen went dark, and I reached over for it. The time displayed '9:42', indicating that I managed to spend over four hours with Kate.

To say that it was timed strangely would be fitting. I unlocked my phone to see that Kate had opened the contacts app and entered her phone number.

I smiled and huffed.

"Sneaky." I whispered.

I put the phone down and put the car into drive. Perhaps I'll go to the gym now, I've definitely got a few things on my mind.

**Damn near 6,000 words. Oof. Those of you that made it this far, thanks for reading the first 'chapter', I suppose you could call it.**

**If you have any thoughts regarding the story please feel free to leave a review, I'd be glad to receive feedback.**

**I know this 'chapter' may have been rather slow rolling, I apologize. I enjoy the details, but if it seems TOO slow, let me know.**

**Also, if you enjoy long 'chapters' like this one, let me know. If not, they will deflate to around 1 or 2 thousand words each.**

**Thanks again!**


	2. Chapter 2

**II**

**Kate's Perspective.**

I began placing the items Six thoughtfully purchased for me onto the kitchen counter, placing the plastic bags into a recycling bin, as my mother walked in.

She gave me a sly grin, turning to face the sink to wash her hands.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"It's about time you started talking to him." She started, slightly confusing me.

"What do you mean?" I asked. She gave me a strange look.

"Don't you remember him coming over when you were little?" She asked. "Perhaps you were too young to remember." She added, beginning the food preparation.

I took a moment to try to remember what she was talking about, but nothing was coming to mind.

"I remember Humphrey always being over but-" I halted; realization in my eyes. "He was the one who would walk with him from school!" I realized. I brought my hand to my forehead. "That's right.. And he would talk with dad, but never stayed long." I added, which brought further questions to mind. "I don't seem to remember why." I added, staring into space.

My mother looked at me again.

"I do." She said, looking back to the pot on the stove. I waited a moment for ehr to continue but she didn't.

I had a look of "_Well?_". She gave me another sly glance.

"I remember him telling me once that he was afraid of you." She said. That response confused me more than it added context.

"Why would he be scared of me, I hardly remember even talking to him." I said.

My mother smiled slightly, before looking at me.

"I think he had a crush on you." She started, looking back to her task. "He would get nervous whenever you talked to him; he'd fumble around with his hands. One time, he brought you a pink flower on Valentine's Day. I remember you let him put it over your ear and you gave him a hug." She continued, smiling with a giggle. "His face was so red." She added.

I had a content smile as I thought about him.

"I don't know why I can't remember this.." I said with a sigh.

"Don't worry, dear. I wouldn't expect you to. You two didn't hang out much." She said.

I still had a slight smile as I imagined what my mother explained. She noticed.

"Maybe he still does." She said, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Still what?" I asked obliviously.

"Has a crush on you." She said softly, with a slight giggle.

My cheeks went slightly pink as I thought about that.

"Six? No way.. I mean, we've never hung out or anything. Besides, that was years ago." I said; gently.

She looked at me again.

"You did today." She said, "Speaking of, how was it?" She asked curiously. My mother and I are rather close, as I'm comfortable enough talking about this stuff.

"Oh-" I started. "Six is such a nice guy. He was always looking out for me, he even let me wear his sweatshirt- crap!" I said, bringing my arms up into view. "I forgot to give it back!" I exclaimed.

"Don't worry dear, I'm sure you'll see him at school tomorrow. I was wondering where you got that from., it looks comfortable." She said, pointing at it with a cooking utensil.

"Oh believe me; it is." I replied, bringing the sleeves up to my cheeks. I realized that it smells heavily of him, and to say he smelled nice was an understatement. He had a musk that felt so tough; so manly. I smelled this earlier in the car, but didn't think the sweatshirt would as well.

My mother noticed my action, and slightly laughed.

"Enjoying yourself?" She asked humorously. I took my hands away and blushed.

"It just smells like cologne." I lied.

"Hah-" She scoffed. "Whatever you say." She said with a grin. "Anyway, what else did you two get up to?" She added.

I smiled as I reimagined our interaction.

"He and I actually got along really well, we cracked jokes, talked about school.. And he said that he has a really hard time sleeping." I said, adding that last part with a gloomy tone.

My mother nodded slightly.

"Ever since he lost his mom, he has become very distant." She started; with a saddened expression. "He stopped coming over to see dad, he barely attended school; the only one he still spoke to was Humphrey." She finished, before halting her action, looking at me seriously.

"Kate, I know a lot of this is new information.. But-" She paused. "He's been a big part of your father and I's lives. Your father basically became his dad, and it hurt us when we learned what he had gone through. Your father, -when he found out what Six's father did-, had so much hate toward him. The only reason we attended the funeral was to be there for Six. Even after what his father did to him, he still cried, and cried when he died." My mother explained, as her eyes started becoming bloodshot.

I listened carefully as I learned all of this. I almost was scared to ask:

"What- what did he do to him?" I hesitantly; quietly asked. My mother gave me a discerned look.

"Kate, he beat Six, almost every day." She started, looking to the floor. "He abused him, both mentally and physically. He ripped away his hobbies, he shattered his dreams. Six still, -after what his father would do to him-. Told him what he loved, what he cared about. His father used it against him.. and it ruined him." My mother paused as a tear rolled down her face. She closed her eyes.

"Six was forced to sleep in the garage; in the cold." She added. "Your father would pick him up from school and bring him to different restaurants, letting him eat whatever he liked before dropping him off at home; oblivious to what went on inside.. Every. Day. Six never told us."

Suddenly, Winston walked into the kitchen, freezing in his tracks as he saw Eve crying.

"Uh.. what's going on?" He asked carefully. Eve wiped her tears away.

"Six." Was all she said. Winston gave a heavy sigh and crossed his arms.

"Yeah.." He said quietly, before retreating back out of the kitchen.

I had absolutely no idea. I'm not upset they hid this from me, but I'm glad they told me now so that I don't hurt him by accident. My eyes were welled, so I wiped them away before the tears ran. I couldn't believe that someone as thoughtful; as caring as Six would have had a father as cold, and as damaging as that.

"We love him, Kate. He is so hurt, just be careful." Eve said, composing herself. I simply nodded, lost in his thought. "If you like him, be there for him. He doesn't have many he trusts." She added.

I was lost for words. My mother was talking about a boy unlike she's ever. It was alien.

"I'm going to go to my room for a little bit. I'm gonna text him and see how he's doing." I said, walking out of the kitchen. "I also need a bit to process all of this." I added, walking up the carpeted stairs to my room.

I entered my room and closed my door, turning on a dim lamp next to my bed. I sat down and let out a sigh. It's a lot to take in, for sure. I had no idea there was so much going on in the background. I laid on my back and stared at my rotating ceiling fan. I thought back to what my mother had said; about him having a crush on me when we were younger. I thought that was cute.

I pulled my phone from my back pocket and opened my contacts. I scrolled down to see his name.

I stared at my screen, unsure how to start. I decided on a simple 'Hey', to get the ball rolling. He responded rather quickly.

"_Hey Kate, what's up?" _He wrote.

"_Just wanted to say thanks again for hanging out with me today. I had a great time. :)"_

"_I had a great time too. :) How's that sweatshirt lol" _He wrote. I smiled, since he didn't seem to mind.

"_It's sooo comfy. :3 I might have a hard time giving it up." _I said back.

"_Haha well if you like it you can keep it, I don't mind ;)" _He wrote.

"_Noooo it's yours. I'll gladly keep it for a few days though lol" _I said back, rubbing the soft sleeve on my cheek.

I really liked his smell, I couldn't seem to get enough of it. It made me feel warm inside.

"_What are you up to?_" I wrote, smiling as I saw him typing back.

"_At the gym. Probably gonna be here for about a half hour, then I'll head home. How about you? How's the cold" _He wrote back. I smiled at the gesture of his care.

"_Strong boy :) gonna eat dinner then probably going to watch Netflix and chill out, don't have much else to do. My cold is pretty minor now that I'm in the house, thanks for asking". _As I pressed send, I heard my mom yell up the stairs that it was time for dinner.

I connected my phone to the charger and set it next to my bed and walked out of my room. As I walked down the stairs the smell of food was prominent; a tender scent.

**Six's Perspective.**

I had a hoodie on that I had in my car, this one was a dark grey. It's usually a lighter color but since I've been sweating it's taken a heavier look. I sat on a padded bench, looking down at my phone. I had my recently purchased AirPods in, as I listened to a personalized AC/DC playlist, thanks to Siri.

A bead of sweat raced down my nose, but I quickly wiped it away before it dripped onto the padded floor. I had my MMA gloves on because I've been practicing my form on a punching bag. Thankfully this gym has heavyweight bags, because the lighter ones swing around like mad when I get into my zone.

"_Strong boy :) gonna eat dinner then probably going to watch Netflix and chill out, don't have much else to do. My cold is pretty minor now that I'm in the house, thanks for asking". _Is what I read from Kate.

I put my phone back into my pocket and skipped through a few songs to find one that felt right.

After finding a suitable song, I resumed my assault on the bag in front of me. There were very few people in the gym at this hour, considering it's also nearing closing time.

_**Time Skip (30 minutes)**_

The engine in my car roared to life, as I let out a small sigh of relief after changing my clothes from working out. My gym offers showers and changing rooms so I gladly take advantage.

I turned my lights on and drove out of the parking lot onto the mostly vacant streets.

I sat stopped at a red light, lightly tapping the steering wheel, listening to the very quiet radio station. A few cars zipped by, as I tracked them with my eyes. My focus suddenly stopped on a spider against the far passenger side of the windshield.

I'm not arachnophobic, but the sight startled me slightly. It was facing my direction, seemingly curled in a small ball. It definitely wasn't tiny, but it wasn't all that big either. I stared at it inspectingly, noticing that it seemed to have almost a glow.

"Huh.." I said quietly, squinting as I watched it. Suddenly the stop light turned green, so I drove through the intersection. I took my eyes off of the spider for those few seconds to make sure I wouldn't run into anything and looked back to where it was to see that it had vanished.

"Shit. Where'd you go." I said, scanning the dash for it. As I continued driving, a flashing neon sign at a bar grabbed my attention. It was the shape of a spider and above it read: "Oh sh*t, _a Spy!"._

"Fitting, but strange." I murmured, returning my attention to the road. My worry for the spider's location was abolished almost immediately, since I assumed that it would leave me alone- which it did.

I continued to drive, only for a few more minutes before reaching my house. I pulled into the driveway, turned off the car and exited the vehicle. When I opened my door, the alert chime because the headlights were still on beeped at me.

"Yeah, yeah- I know." I murmured, twisting the knob to the 'OFF' position, before closing the door and locking the car.

I had my worn clothes in a bag to be washed, since I knew that if they weren't they'd smell by morning. I walked to the front door and fiddled with my keys with one hand, trying to get to the house key.

"Come on, you bugger." I whispered. I managed to fit it into the lock and twisted the deadbolt, unlocking the door.

I entered my home, flipping the entrance light switch, illuminating the room. I closed and locked the door behind me, also turning on the porch lights.

I lived by myself, by choice. It worked out pretty well, actually. After I lost both of my parents, I received a few letters from some distant relatives revealing that I had quite a lot of money hidden away with my name on it. I decided to use it to jumpstart my life, paying rent on a quite inexpensive- but respectable house. It was a two-story, three-bed, two-full-bath house, with a heated in-ground pool that I've never used.

Humphrey comes over sometimes and we play video games together. Sometimes he would come over and spend the night to get away from the stresses that follow him, which I totally get and am cool with. It's not like I don't have the space.

Once, Humphrey was black-out drunk, knocking at my door with a friend of ours, Hutch. Hutch didn't know where Humphrey lived, and Humphrey was too drunk to remember so he brought him to the only other place he knew.

Hutch and I both struggled to get his resistive, damn-near limp body up the stairs into a guest bedroom where I'd have to monitor him so he didn't suffocate on his vomit.

Once we got him into a bed he said slurringly:

"Noooooo Six I don't wanna have a gay threesome I'm af- _*hiccup* _afraid I'll like it.." Which got a laugh out of both Hutch and I.

Anyways, as I reached into the bag to put my clothes into the washing machine, that same spider quickly crawled up my arm and ejected somewhere into my house.

I let out a shocked yell.

"Jesus." I said, clutching my chest, closing my eyes. I shivered at the feeling of the spider crawling on my arm.

I quickly put the clothes into the machine and turned it on.

I walked out of the mudroom, into the kitchen.

"Don't lay eggs, I'll burn the whole damn house down; don't think I won't you little shit!" I said out into my house. I know spiders can't understand humans, but my threats are very real when it comes to unwanted insects in my house.

I told my Amazon Alexa to play some rock n' roll, and continued with my intended task.

I reached into the kitchen sink full of water to pull the thawed chicken breast out that I placed before I left for school. I grabbed a sharp knife and sliced away at the plastic heat-shrink material it was in. I proceeded to make myself pan-seared chicken breast and steamed vegetables.

I tend to enjoy cooking, especially after going to the gym. I personally have learned to take my time with certain foods that I like the most. I feel more passionate about food preparation when I'm not in any hurry.

I enjoyed my food, cleaned the few pots, pans, and utensils that I used- and went upstairs to shower.

I feel quite spoiled when it comes to my living conditions now, and I try not to take them for granted. My shower is odd, the walls are entirely glass and it is directly in the middle of the room. There are two evenly-sized countertops with sinks, and the shower glass automatically fogs up for privacy; not that I care- there usually isn't anyone else here.

I turn on the shower to let it warm up before I enter. It doesn't take long, thankfully. I remove my clothes, placing them in a basket next to the door before entering into the soothing water.

Afterwards, I put on some boxers and headed to bed. I don't expect to get any sleep tonight, but what the heck; you never know.

I turned off the main overhead light and turned on my bedside lamp. I crawled into the cold bed sheets, turning on my tv. I turned on a random Netflix show; no intention on actually watching it.

I grabbed my phone and saw that I had another text from Kate.

"_Hey Six, I'm heading to bed but I hope you enjoy yourself tonight. I really hope you're able to get some sleep tonight, I'm sorry you suffer from that. :( but I'll see you tomorrow at school, okay? Goodnight, Six, Thanks for today. :)"_

I smiled reading that. Kate seems to like me, which I'm grateful for. Not often do I genuinely enjoy someone's company, but I seem to have a sweet spot for her.

It was around 1:30 in the morning, so she very likely won't see my text until dusk.

"_Goodnight, Kate. See you tomorrow :)" _I replied.

I placed my phone on my nightstand, comfortably looking up at my tv thinking of Kate, remembering when I was young.

I smiled, remembering when I had such a massive crush on her. It's crazy to see how things change. Voices, bodies, thoughts, emotions, everything. There are some things that don't change, though.

As I continued to rummage through my thoughts, my eyes drew heavy. The sound of the tv faded, as I was swept away into a slumber.


	3. Chapter 3

**III**

**/TheDarkWolf28**

"Keep it going *thumbs up*"

**:) Roger that.**

**/alpha lover02**

"Wow this is turning out to be an amazing story."

**Thank you! I appreciate that. Thanks for your feedback.**

**Six's Perspective.**

I awoke early the next morning, once again reexperiencing my common nightmares. I've come to accept them as inevitable; something I just have to live with.

I was downstairs in the kitchen eating a BLT sandwich I had made for myself. Extra bacon, the way I like it.

It was around five, about an hour before sunrise. I wanted to go for an early morning trail run- I hadn't done so in a few days, so I decided to text Humphrey to see if he was up to come with me.

Humphrey likes the exercise, but I've never been able to turn him into a morning person.

My phone vibrated on the countertop only a minute or so later; a response.

"_Do you have any idea what time it is?" _He wrote.

I chuckled, knowing how much of a grumpy old man he can be in the morning.

"_That's the point. Interested?" _I wrote back, returning to my sandwich. I took a bite, before redirecting my attention to the tv in the living room. I had the morning news on, as per usual.

The host for the local news channel was talking about a small debris field expected to make entry into our atmosphere today. NASA informants issued a warning to the predicted area of affect.

"Hm." I said, taking another bite, not paying much mind.

_*Buzz buzz!*_

I looked at my phone to see another response from Humphrey.

"_Alright, fine. I'll be there in 15" _He wrote.

"Sweet." I said, finishing off my sandwich then walking back up to my room. I figure I should get ready if he'll be here soon, Humphrey doesn't live far.

I put on some compression shorts that reach down to your ankles, then put on some normal athletic shorts over those. I put on one of my pairs of colorful Nike running shoes, tying them securely.

I put on my compression sleeves and a normal sweat-wicking t-shirt. It was a vibrant mix of colors, matching my shoes. I went back downstairs and grabbed an available water bottle, filling it at the tap.

I checked my watch, seeing that I only spent four minutes. I let out a huff, collapsing on the sofa; bored as I waited for Humphrey.

Soon, he arrived; but before he did so, I packed a small duffle bag of extra clothes, socks, shoes and first aid.

He started knocking at my front door erratically, only halting when I opened it swiftly.

"Coffee!" He said loudly, grabbing my shoulders.

I laughed, pointing inside the house.

"Kitchen!" I yelled back, stepping out of his way.

He quickly darted into the house, over to the coffee pot where a freshly brewed cup sat waiting. I figured he would want that, since he's a pretty avid coffee drinker.

He quickly saw the steaming cup, almost melting in his shoes when he did.

"Oh, my lord and savior, Six." He said, bringing it to his lips, taking a loud sip.

I smiled, leaning against the door frame.

"Waitin' on you slowpoke!" Humphrey said, carefully running past me out of the house with the coffee.

I chuckled, grabbing a black beanie on my way out the door.

I unlocked my car, seeing Humphrey's car in the driveway next to mine.

"Good morning to you too, bud." I joked, looking at him over the car. He stuck his tongue out at me as we got in my vehicle. I started it up, throwing the duffle bag I had in the back seat carelessly.

I looked over at Humphrey as he practically cradled that cup of coffee. I laughed at the image.

"Maybe I should have given you a sippy cup for the road." I joked.

He gave me a dull look.

"Oh ha-ha." He said, bringing the rim to his lips. "Jackass." He said muffled, as he drank the essence.

"Been a while since we've gone running this early." I said, reversing out of the driveway.

"Mm, yeah." Humphrey started, placing the half-full cup in a cup holder. "Which trail did you have in mind? I remember the one we did last week; same one?" He asked, precariously.

"Nah, this is a far less popular trail. Not a lot of people know about it unless they do some digging on Google maps." I replied. "It runs alongside a river for most of it." I added. "Did you eat this morning?" I asked, looking at him for a brief moment.

"Yeah, fruit and cereal." He said, looking at me smiling as he reached for the aux cord.

I had a gross facial expression after he said that.

"What a mix, man- ew." I said, chuckling. "Actually, it depends on the cereal." I added.

"Fruit Loops." He said. I was disgusted.

"Oh, you're nasty nasty, huh?" I said chuckling, as he laughed, picking a playlist he had on his phone to listen to. He decided on the 'Into the Spider-Verse" Soundtrack, which I'll admit I quite enjoyed.

The trail was partially secluded; as-in you had to drive to a spot you wouldn't consider a road, and push through a treeline to get to the river.

We arrived at the base of the forest, stopping the car and preparing ourselves as the sun's waves barely crept over the horizon, illuminating the dense fog.

"Not gonna lie, doesn't look like much." Humphrey commented as he put on his small running pack.

I nodded before replying.

"I know, once we push past the trees here, there's a trail that leads further up the mountain." I said, pointing in the general direction we should go.

"We get lost, I blame you!" Humphrey joked, ready to go.

I locked the car, double checking Google maps that we were in the right spot.

"As always." I commented smiling, shooting him a glance.

Humphrey and I pushed through the treeline, getting smacked in the face with branches and swatting at spider webs. Eventually though, we got through it and were greeted by a rapidly flowing river, alongside a rather skinny trail; clearly abandoned and not maintained.

Humphrey and I made sure we stretched properly before beginning our adventure.

"Shit!" Humphrey exclaimed, falling over doing a stretch pose. I chuckled helping him back up.

We began with a fast jog, being sure to maintain our footing as we clashed along the path.

Humphrey and I competed back and forth as to who kept lead. It was surely entertaining; laughs heard throughout the immediate foliage. I was having fun, something I don't say very often anymore.

As the elevation increased, our exhaustion grew, as did our competitive nature. We were both taking shortcuts; sometimes finding that they weren't shortcuts at all. I'm glad I asked Humphrey to come along with me.

The crashing of the rapids was heard over our breath, and over our steps. I looked to my left to see Humphrey running alongside me, though his grin of enjoyment suddenly turned to an expression of shock, as he suddenly halted in his tracks.

"Six!" He screamed out, but it was too late.

I looked to my right as fast as I could, only to be pummeled by a wall of fur. I heard the beginning of a bear's roar as my concussed body limply flew through the air, directly into the murky rapids. The cold shock didn't last long before I realized what the hell had just happened.

I desperately tried to rise to the surface as my helpless body was twisted and turned through the water. My orientation was stripped from my senses as I tried to make sense of what was going on. I couldn't see, and I kept scraping along rocks and tree trunks in the water.

I began to panic as I was running out of oxygen. I finally managed to surface, trying to understand my position. A very large black bear clawed at the water in attempt to swim, swiping me in the process. It's massive paws dragged along my chest, leaving several deep gashes. I tried as hard as I could to swim with the current in attempt to put some distance between the bear and I, but the erratic water behavior is making it hard to do anything, even stay above the water.

My breathing has become extremely labored, partly due to the gashes on my chest, but mostly because of the water in my lungs. God, I hope the bear didn't take Humphrey down with it as well.

The river currents dragged me around like a ragdoll, when I suddenly hit my head on something really hard; losing consciousness.

**Humphrey's Perspective.**

I raced along the river with Six, watching him tentatively. The rapids showed no mercy; dragging him and throwing him around seemingly for sport.

The bear was hot on his tail, unintentionally. The river simply pushed them collectively. The mass of wet fur clawed at the water in a 'doggy-paddle' motion, in attempt to keep itself above water, swiping Six in the process. He fell under the water quickly, but I never saw him resurface.

"Six!" I yelled as I removed my shirt, about to make a realy stupid decision.

I dove into the rapids in the last place I saw him. For all I knew, he could be trapped; drowning.

I held my breath as I traced along the rocky riverbed, barely keeping my movements under control. I couldn't see a damn thing, the visibility was literally zero. My hands scraped along rocks and sticks, while I braced my legs for possible large stones I may run into.

Suddenly, I limply ran into an object flowing with the river. I quickly grabbed it, hoping it was what I needed it to be; Six.

As the river guided me through it's flowing lockets, I realized that I was in fact holding Six. He seemed unconscious. Either from the bear, or drowning. God, I'm hoping it's the former.

I rushed to the surface, amazingly still holding my breath. I made sure Six was above the water, as I struggled to swim parallel to the current to get to shore. The current made it very difficult to stay above the water.

Eventually though, I was able to get him onto land; however not without difficulty. I flopped him onto the ground face up as I crawled up next to him, gasping for breath.

The river pushed us back fairly close to the car. I was about to administer CPR on Six, but he suddenly started coughing violently. He rolled over onto his stomach as the water rushed out of his lungs, stinging him as it escaped.

"Jesus, kid." I said leaning on my knees, still catching my breath.

"What the fuck!" Six exclaimed while still coughing, though not as harshly. He started to get up, facing me as he did so. He stared down at his chest; ripped shirt. He put his hand to his slashed chest and grimaced.

I took a moment to realize the sight I saw.

"Six, you're losing a lot of blood." I said, watching it drip down him, falling to the ground.

"We need to go, right… now.." Six said, beginning to take a few steps in the direction of the car before falling to his knees.

"Six!" I said, rushing to his side. He raised his hand to me.

"I'm fine, I'm.. don't.." He tried to get out before losing consciousness again.

"Fuck!" I exclaimed, holding him so he didn't hit the ground. I instinctually picked him up firefighter style, double-timing it to the car. My exhaustion meant nothing at this moment. My actions now determine whether he lives or dies.

As Six's blood started seeping down my body, I neared the vehicle. My shoes squished with water in each step. I shifted Six's weight so I could reach the driver door. Locked.

"Shit!" I exclaimed. Six's car has the exterior buttons for coded entry. I don't know the code, though I see the keys sitting in the center console.

"Sorry buddy." I said, before punching through the driver side glass. The alarm began to howl as I reached into the door with my severely bleeding hand to unlock the rest of the car. I carried Six to the passenger side, sitting him down, grabbing a towel from the back to wrap around his chest. I placed the seatbelt around him, locking it against the towel.

I quickly closed the door and rushed to the driver's side. I opened the door and brushed most of the glass off of the seat before quickly getting in and grabbing the keys. I pressed a few buttons on the fob to deactivate the alarm. I started the car and quickly returned to main roadways. I reached into the glove compartment to get my phone.

"Hey Siri, directions to a nearby hospital." I said aloud.

"_One option is BayCare Urgent Care on Davidson's Drive. Getting directions." _Siri responded.

"Fuck it, that'll work." I said, reading the directions briefly. I quickly memorized the street names and places I need to turn before tossing my phone into the center console. Thankfully there were damn-near no other cars on the road.

I was definitely speeding as I carefully blew through vacant stop signs and street lights. I saw the brightly illuminated 'BAYCARE' sign ahead.

I quickly approached the building, driving to the 'EMERGENCY' entrance. I came to a quick stop, making Six's head fall forward. I pushed his head back, noticing his pale skin.

"Hang in there, buddy." I said getting out of the car. I guess the nurses inside noticed my 'urgent' appearance and three of them quickly came through the sliding door with a gurney.

I opened the passenger door and removed the seatbelt revealing a deeply red-stained towel. I picked him up carefully, as the three nurses were ready to take him inside. I followed their instruction and placed him on the gurney. Two of the nurses wheeled him inside, while one of them stayed behind with a pad and paper.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Ran into a bear, bear slashed his chest and pushed him into a river. Lost consciousness underwater, regained it to expel water from his lungs when I pulled him out only to lose consciousness again immediately after." I said, summarizing the event. The woman took a moment to write down a few things.

"What's his name, age?" She asked.

I hesitated for a moment, realizing that I couldn't say 'Six', since that's not his real name.

"His name is Cameron Ashwood. He's 19." I said almost reluctantly. He made me promise never, ever to say his real name. Only under dire circumstances. I feel this qualifies.

"-And what happened to you?" She asked, pointing her pen to my right hand.

I took notice of my hand, noticing that I was actually bleeding really badly. The glass from the window seemingly sliced it up pretty good.

"Breaking into the car- It's his, but the keys were locked inside." I reassured, realizing what I had said.

"Alright let's fix you up." She said, ushering me inside the building. "What's your name?" She added.

"Humphrey Westbrook."

"Alright Humphrey, I'm gonna have you come right back here-" She started, leading me into a hallway with vacant rooms on either side. "Go right on in, Dr. Williamson is ready for you."

"Thank you, ma'am." I said, giving her a slight smile.

"You're welcome." She said, smiling back before she walked away to do other doctor things.

I walked into the room to see two individuals. One of them is clearly older, reading a file. He turned around to see me. He took his glasses off.

"Hi there, you must be Humphrey. Heard you in the hallway." He said smiling. "Let's fix you up. Go ahead and take a seat right up there." He said, pointing to the raised, padded bed. He ripped open a bag, revealing a sanitized cloth inside, which he handed to me.

I used it to stop my hand from dripping blood everywhere. Dr. Williamson turned to face a table cart with syringes, clothes, tapes, and strings and such. He reached into the bottom to get what seemed to be rubbing alcohol. He also grabbed something else that honestly looked like a huge diaper.

He set the 'diaper' in my lap.

"Go ahead and hold your arm over this, it's to soak up the alcohol." He said, as I obliged. "This'll sting quite a bit but it's necessary." He added. I simply nodded. I've been through this a few times, I know what to expect.

He began lightly pouring the alcohol over my hand to reveal any possible glass still lodged in my skin. My cuts were quite deep, and holy hell did this hurt. I seethed in pain, managing it as best as I could.

"Sorry." the doctor said.

"No worries, it's a good pain." I commented briefly.

"Hah!" The doctor exclaimed, picking up my sarcasm. I looked over at the other doctor, noticing that he's been watching, seemingly taking notes. Young fella.

"This your apprentice?" I asked, indicating toward the note-taker. Dr. Williamson gave him a glance.

"So to speak." He started. "He's my assistant at the moment." He added, delicately wiping my wounds with a cloth doused with alcohol. It hurt, but not as badly as you'd think.

The rest of the visit was pretty painless and easy going. Dr. Williamson stitched up the cuts and used some kind of ointment to apply to them before he wrapped from my palm to my lower forearm.

He gave me extra wrap and ointment for my future use to replace what he put on himself.

With that, I filled out some paperwork before going back out to the waiting room, giving the papers to the young receptionist.

"Hey, would you happen to have any information on my friend that I brought in? Cameron Ashwood." I asked doubtful.

"One moment, sweetheart." She said, before clicking and typing at her computer for a moment.

She picked up her phone and dialed a few numbers before sitting there silently for a second.

"Hey this is Tina, I've got-" she started, placing the phone to her shoulder. "What's your name, sir?" She asked.

"Humphrey Westbrook." I said. She brought the phone back to her ear.

"Humphrey Westbrook here, he brought Cameron Ashwood in." She said before pausing for a moment. "Alright, thanks. Bye bye." She said putting the phone down. "Cameron's lost a lot of blood and will be admitted tonight. His flesh wounds will heal just fine, and he seemed to break a few ribs as well. Thankfully nothing was punctured, so he'll recover alright. Due to the loss of blood he's on a few drippers, and has slipped into a minor coma." She said.

I sighed heavily. Mostly from relief, but also from dismay. If he's in a coma, who knows how long he'll be out.

"Alright, thank you. I appreciate it." I said, placing my hand on the lip of the desk for a moment. Before I could walk away she continued.

"If you'd like to leave your phone number, we can call you when he's ready to accept visitation." She said.

"Oh, that'd be great." I said, patting my pockets for my phone before realizing I left it in the car.

She grabbed a pen and paper.

"Whenever you're ready." She said.

I gave her my phone number, as she took a moment to finish writing it down.

"Alright, like I said whenever he's clear for visitation you'll get a call." She said, flashing me a smile.

"Thanks, Tina." I said, returning the smile.

"You're welcome, Humphrey." She said, returning to typing on her keyboard. I walked out of the building to the car, which seemingly was moved, but maybe that's just my mind playing tricks on me. I took the keys out of my damp pocket and opened the driver side door.

I swiped away the remaining glass from the seat with my wrapped hand so I didn't cut myself, and got in.

I sat back into the seat, let out a heavy sigh as I looked at the time displayed on the dashboard.

'_11:32am'_

That meant that classes have started already. I have a few classes with Kate, I'm sure she's a little worried to not see either of us there. I closed my eyes, really beginning to feel the exhaustion. I gripped the steering wheel and began to drive away from the facility.


	4. Chapter 4

**IV**

**Six's Perspective.**

Voices and blurs of light encapsulated my senses with haste. I felt weightless. I felt.. untouchable. The absence of a physical world around me felt strange. Quickly, the prior event came to mind as my curiosity prodded my consciousness with questions.

I didn't feel pain. I didn't feel.. anything at all. Not even the flesh of my fingertips, or the thump of my heartbeat as it sang. I couldn't blink; I couldn't avert my gaze, if that were such a thing. There was no direction; no dedicated area of focus. Is this what it's like to be dead? Perhaps so.

I floated upon the fabric of my reality for what seemed like hours without care. No parched throat to relieve, no thermostat to adjust because I was cold, no food to ingest because I was hungry. I just.. didn't exist.

I was free to imagine; or 'think' as the mind would call it. My thoughts invented images of my past. Things were so much clearer here in this.. dreamscape.

My thoughts explored deep into my memories like never before. I imagined my mother. I imagined her face; all with intricate detail. I felt emotion, though with no physical embodiment to express it. It made me feel trapped- in a way.

I pictured her driving me to school, I imagined her tucking me into bed some nights, I imagined all the things she did for me. I traced along those memories to see all of the details I missed, like my father watching in anger as my mother read me a poem before bed.

All while my thoughts rummaged through my memories, I began to faintly hear the echo of a consistent 'beep...beep...beep'. The longer I waited, the louder the echo became. The time between the sounds melted together; combining into a long whine, piercing all other thought.

I began to feel things, like my blood rushing through my arteries and veins. I felt the rush of blood every time my heart pumped the thick liquid. My perception of reality became gradually darker, clouded with nothingness.

I started to feel the pins and needles in my arms and legs, although I don't remember what from. Over time, the beeping decreased in intensity by quite a lot. There didn't seem to be much else going on, not that I think I'd be able to perceive it anyway.

Things were becoming quite cold. Not cold enough to make you shiver, though it was close.

**Humphrey's Perspective.**

As I drove away from the facility, I grabbed my phone from the center console and unlocked it. I figured I'd let a few people know what happened. Kate, for example.

"_Hey, just wanted to let you know that Six and I were involved in an incident. He and I were out on a forest run, when a bear decided to drop in on the fun. Six is still at the hospital being treated for his injuries. Will keep you posted." _Is what I wrote. I sent that individually to Kate, Kate's dad, my dad, and my sister. Six.. hasn't ever mentioned any other relative family to me, so I couldn't send it to really anyone else.

I placed my phone back in the console, letting out a labored breath, gripping the steering wheel as I came to a stop at a traffic light.

"Fuck." I whispered to myself. I took a moment of silence, before resting my head against my hand, propped up on the window. Well.. where the window should be. The light turned green, and I accelerated through the intersection. I plan to get to Six's house to gather some clothes for him before going to mine.

Soon, I parked in the driveway and entered the house rather quickly. I removed my moist shoes and socks before climbing the stairs to his room. I gathered a few articles of clothing for him, stealing a pair of socks and shoes since mine were wet. I also gathered him another pair of shoes and put all of these into a gym bag next to his door.

I walked back out to the car to go to my house. When I got in, I saw my phone screen lit up. I reached over and picked it up, noticing a few text messages. One from Kate, one from her dad, and one from my dad.

Kate's read: "_Oh my god, are you guys okay?"_

Winston's read: "_How bad, and what hospital? How are you holding up"_

My dad's read: "_Are you okay? How's he doing"_

I smiled, thankful they care.

I responded to each of them accordingly before continuing with my intended action; driving to my house. It was now around one o' clock, but I feel like I've already gone through the day.

I threw the bag with Six's clothes in the back seat and began driving to my house. The drive was honestly really short, considering that I don't live far. When I closed the front door behind me, I heard a voice.

"Humphrey?" I heard a man say.

I turned the corner to the kitchen to see the origin of sound.

"Oh hey, dad." I said; my curiosity satisfied. I guess I should have known it was his voice.. I mean, I live with him.

"How you feelin'?" He asked, fixing his tie.

"Oh just great." I said, looking at my mummy-wrapped hand and wrist. He seemed to notice my sarcasm. His expression turned slightly awry.

"How's Six?" He asked. My dad knew that I could handle a little cut here and there, but Six suffered far worse than I did in this circumstance.

"I haven't seen him since I dropped him off." I said, opening the fridge to collect a Garorade. I took a swig before continuing. "I've got some clothes for him in the car, and I came by to get some for myself." I finished, looking down at my bloody shirt and dirty shoes.

"So how did that happen?" My dad asked, gesturing toward my wrapped hand.

"Six was unconscious and left the keys in the car. I wasn't necessarily in the mood to risk wasting time by attempting to crack his entry code, so I punched through the window." I said, reenacting the action.

"Ouch." He said grimacing. "Car windows aren't exactly fragile." He added.

"Yeah." I scoffed. "Tell that to me two hours ago." I said.

My dad resumed doing whatever it was he was doing at the counter.

"Well, I'm gonna go shower real quick, freshen up a bit. Blood isn't exactly my color." I joked, walking away. He simply sighed; without another word.

I climbed the stairs swiftly, entering my room. I collected a few articles of clothing to wear after I shower. I left my room, walking down the hall past my sister's vacant room. She clearly was at school.

I entered the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I placed my clean clothes on the counter next to the sink, turning on the shower. I began removing my dirty clothes, I caught myself in the mirror for a moment, noticing the slight bruising over my shoulders. Strangely, they didn't hurt.

Without wasting any more time, I hopped into the shower, immediately shivering at the feeling. It wasn't cold, but shocking nonetheless. I wasted no time in cleaning my body, and rinsing my hair, being mindful of my wrapped hand. I didn't take long, quickly drying off and putting on my clean clothes.

I placed my dirty clothes in my 'dirty clothes' bin in my room, before returning downstairs. I grabbed my Garorade bottle before going out to the car. I started it up and picked up my phone from the console seeing a text from Kate.

"_I'm going to be there at the hospital with my dad later today to see how he's doing, will you be there?" _It read.

"_Yeah, in fact I'm on my way back there now." _I responded. It's nice that she's thinking of him.

I reversed the car out of the driveway, speeding away toward my house. I finally took notice of the glass rubble everywhere in the front seat, I'll have to be sure to clean that and fix the window soon. The drive was quiet, considering I was the only one in the car; but also because there weren't a whole lot of other drivers around, oddly.

I parked his car in the driveway, switching to my car since without the driver window, theft was probable if I drove his to the hospital.

I parked in the 'VISITOR' parking lot, making sure to park close to the building. There weren't a lot of people here anyway. I grabbed the gym bag with Six's clothes and walked toward reception once I entered the building, noticing a different lady sitting there. I know the other woman said I'll get a text when he's ready, but I might as well try.

"Hi there." I greeted, smiling.

She smiled broadly, giving me her attention.

"Good afternoon, sir, is there anything I can assist you with?" She said almost robotically- like she's said that a million times.

"I was wondering if Cameron Ashwood was ready for visitation?" I asked hesitantly, expecting a no.

"Let me check real quick." She said, clicking at her computer a few times. "Yes, he's ready now. If that's what you're here for, I'll need an ID from you." She said. I had an unsure expression, since I never got a text from the hospital.

"Oh, great uhh- here." I said, patting my pockets, finding my wallet. I pulled out my driver's license and handed it to her. She took a few glances at it, seemingly inputting information into the computer.

"Perfect." She said, handing me my license. "He's on the third floor, room 3-0-1." She said with a smile.

"Thank you, ma'am." I replied, walking toward the elevators.

I pressed the 'up' button, immediately faced with an open elevator.

I rode the lift all the way to the third floor, seeing the signs on the wall. Conveniently, his room was no more than fifteen feet from the elevator. I saw "ASHWOOD" on a placard next to the door.

I gulped, opening the door to reveal him. When I saw him I was honestly really relieved to see that he didn't look half as bad as I thought he would.

I closed the door behind me, placing the gym bag at the foot of the bed, sitting in the closest chair to him.

"Hey, buddy." I said aloud. His chest was wrapped thinly, he was connected to a monitor that held a steady beep, and was connected to two IV's, presumably due to the loss of blood. He was unconscious; coma, like the receptionist from earlier said.

I rested my hand on the top of his head, looking around the room. I suddenly had a heart-wrenching thought. There was nobody. Nobody but me. Six didn't have much family, in fact the only time he's ever mentioned family was when he talked about his mom. It hurt to think about it, but I was the only one he really ever talked to. But here I am, sitting here by his side.

"You're gonna be alright, Six. You're the toughest cat in school, and it took a whole bear to take you out." I joked, though without response; obviously.

I studied his face as he laid there. He seemed to have the color back in his cheeks, and his eyes didn't seem so strained. He could finally rest.

I stayed there with him for the next few hours before I heard the doorknob turn. My attention went from my phone to the door, to see Kate and Winston walk in. They saw me, then they saw Six.. and their expressions reflected.

"Hey, Humphrey." Kate said, approaching me. I stood up and gave her a hug, smiling at her when we parted. Winston offered a handshake, which I gladly accepted.

"How's the hand?" He asked, gesturing to my other, while Kate went on the other side of the bed.

"It's alright, just a few scratches, really." I said, waving it around for a second. He gave me a 'really' look.

"If it were just a few scratches, they wouldn't have wrapped it like that. But I get what you're saying." He said.

I looked down for a moment, without anything else to say. I directed my attention over to Kate, who seemed distraught from Six's condition. She slowly sat down in the seat next to the bed.

Kate scanned over his face with sympathy.

"How?" She asked quietly.

I didn't respond immediately, since I remember telling her how it had happened.. Perhaps she meant something else. I walked to the end of the bed, lightly gripping the plastic frame.

"How?" I repeated, with more of a questioning tone.

Kate looked over at me with glazed eyes.

"How does something like this happen to him? I mean.." She paused, returning her gaze to his face. "He doesn't deserve this." She added, placing her hand on his.

I studied her words, interpreting her emotions. There wasn't much to say in response. Winston joined Kate on the left side of the bed, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"He'll be alright, Kate. You know he will.. he always ends up okay." He said, though it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself.

After some time later, Kate and Winston left the hospital. They obviously couldn't stay all day, as much as Kate wanted to, to be here for Six.

About an hour after Kate and Winston left, my dad texted me.

"_Hey, I'm gonna be there in a few minutes you want anything to eat?"_

"_No thank you, I'm really not hungry atm" _I responded, before locking my phone and putting it back on the seat next to me. I returned leaning forward, holding my head in my hands. My chest felt labored, it made breathing difficult; not that I did anything about it.

The nurse has come in from time to time, checking up on Six, making small talk with me, offering to bring in some water. As much as I appreciated it, I refused.

The hours seemed to be melting together, lasting forever yet rushing by like mere minutes. Soon after the last nurse checkup, my dad quietly entered the room. Dimly lit lights illuminated him softly.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" He asked quietly, closing the door behind him.

"I'm tired." I said quietly. "This guy however, might have more to say." I added, gesturing to Six.

"Yeah.." My dad said reluctantly, slowly sitting next to me. "The doctors say much about his condition?" He asked.

I slightly shrugged to myself. "Only what you already know, they haven't added nurse said his vitals are steady, which may lead to early recovery."

My dad seemed to think to himself for a brief moment. He suddenly reached into the bag he brought with him, tossing a wrapped sandwich into my lap.

"I know you said you weren't hungry, but I also know that you haven't eaten anything." He said.

I let a small smirk appear across my face, thanking him before beginning to eat it.

The next half an hour was filled with small conversation between my dad and I. The beeping of the monitor became mute, and the nurse only came back in one additional time before visitation hours were over.

The door carefully opened, revealing a doctor with a file in her grasp.

"Good evening, gentlemen. You guys alright?" She asked. Her voice seemed genuine. It was pretty obvious that she's said that a few thousand times, but the way she did made it seem like the first.

"Yeah, we're good. I assume you're here to throw us out, huh?" I replied half jokingly.

A 'really?' look came across her gaze.

"Well maybe not literally, but yes- unfortunately visitation is over. Visitation hours are from eight to eight every day, so you may return anytime within those hours." The nurse said.

As my dad and I stood up, I took out my phone to see that it was actually 8:20. I put my phone away and walked back to Six, resting my hand on his chest.

"Hang in there, soldier." I quietly murmured, before retreating out into the hall, walking with dad to the elevators.

Our company was silent, not that there was much to be said.

The hospital was pretty barren, with scattered nurses and quiet tv's playing random disney movies. There were two ladies sitting at a desk behind a counter who waved at us as we left, before returning to whatever kept them occupied.

Walking into the dark, hot outside air gave an eerie feeling, paired with the electrical buzzing of the illuminated signs above. My dad and I both walked to our vehicles, without a word; almost as if we were strangers. It wasn't uncommon behavior between my dad and I, but the circumstance gave reason in this instance.

I started up Six's car, watching my dad drive out of the parking lot. I kind of just.. Sat there, staring blankly as a deep frustration built inside me.

I threw my phone into the center console with excessive force, feeling an anger.

"God, damn it!" I exclaimed, leaving my raised fists in the air, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.

Suddenly my muffled phone began to ring. For a moment, I left it there; ignoring the tone as I composed myself.

Eventually, I opened the console and reached for it, pulling it out and seeing that it was Kate that was calling me.

I answered.

"_...Hey."_ I delayed.

"_Hey Humphrey"_ She said. Her voice seemed distraught.

"_What's up?"_ I replied dreadily.

"_Well.. I just wanted to call you, I suppose. You're not busy are you?"_ She asked.

"_No, I just left the hospital. Sitting in the parking lot for a minute."_ I said, resting my head on my propped hand. _"You doing okay?"_

She sighed.

"_It should be me asking you that question."_

I chuckled slightly.

"_Believe me, I'm just fine. Just.. a shitty situation."_

"_I agree.."_ She said.

There was a pause for a moment.

"_Are you going to school tomorrow?"_ She asked with a tone that seemingly dreaded my response.

"_Are you kidding? School is the last thing I'm worried about as of right now. What about you?"_

Kate let out a humored huff.

"_Hell no."_ She murmured.

There was a brief pause.

"_Do you want to come over?"_ Kate suddenly asked.

I thought to myself for a moment.

"_Well, I'll be going back to the hospital in the morning." _I replied, letting my eyes droop in exhaustion. God, It's been a long day.

"_I knew you would be, which is why my next question is: can I come with you?" _Kate asks hopefully.

"_Of course you can. But just know that I don't plan on leaving the hospital much." _I said.

"_Fine by me." _Kate replied rather cheerfully.

"_Alrighty then. I'll be over soon. You already cleared this with your dad, right?" _I asked.

"_Humph, you already know the answer to that. You know you've been over here a couple hundred times already, right?" _Kate asked giddily.

"_Yeah yeah, I know. I just don't want to be there unannounced. You know how I am.."_ I replied with a yawn.

"_I do. Alright, I'm gonna go shower." _She said.

"_Mhm. Stinky butt." _I joked.

"_Hey! My-" _She began to say before I hung up.

With a chuckle, I plugged my phone into its charger, and began leaving the parking lot. I figured I'd stop at home and change into some different clothes, and also stop over at Six's to switch cars. Wouldn't want his to get stolen since now it's missing the driver side window.

Sorry, again.


End file.
